As I write this in late April I’m patting myself on the back for surviving tax season, being the default preparer for my entire family. But I can hardly complain; Lionel Derriey is chair of the Maine Tax Workshop, supporting 600 certified public accountants in the Portland area he now calls home. When not sharing his expertise in finance/banking with local businesses as a Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) volunteer mentor, Lionel catches up with Todd Greenquist, Dave Shedd, and summer visitor Derek Chow. What’s more, Lionel and his wife, Amy Yasko, recently celebrated their first anniversary. April also brings long-awaited news for those with high school seniors, as well as those who generously contribute their time (and opinions) by interviewing Dartmouth applicants. A record low admission rate for the class of ’28 means being an alumni interviewer comes with its share of disappointments, as so few candidates get the green light. Kaya Kazmirci, however, defied the odds with an exceptional yield of 12 prospective freshmen from Turkey! Kudos to Kaya, who asks students who ultimately matriculate to volunteer as alumni interviewers and student mentors themselves one day. Among those who make it their business to know the college admissions landscape are Mark Montgomery, founder of Great College Advice, a global college consulting firm based in Denver, and seasoned advisor Andrea Kaufman Aronson, who leads the firm’s regional New Jersey office. By building relationships that span a student’s high school career, they offer expert guidance throughout the college search and admissions journey. Dedicated to students in higher education, Rebecca Wells has been a Russian language professor at University of California San Diego for 35 years, receiving the distinguished teaching award along the way. Becca, who lives with her family in Long Beach, was kind enough to share her daughter with me briefly while Grace dipped her toe into the professional dance world and transitioned to a full-fledged New Yorker. For parents, educators, and coaches, Dianne Nesto Williams’ mission to implement medical amnesty on college campuses will resonate strongly. Dianne and husband Chris founded the McCrae James Williams Foundation in 2018 to carry forward their son’s legacy. Two weeks into his freshman year, fulfilling his dream of playing NCAA Division I lacrosse, McCrae suffered a traumatic head injury—not on the field but from a fall in his dorm room after a lacrosse “introduction” party. Fearing disciplinary consequences, fellow students delayed in calling for help. Since McCrae’s passing, Dianne and Chris have conducted extensive research on college students, student-athletes, and coaches, publishing several studies to support their advocacy efforts. They have also presented at annual conferences of the Apple Training Institute, aligned with the NCAA Sports Science Institute in promoting student-athlete wellness and substance misuse prevention. However, Dianne and Chris know there is much more work to be done: both eliminating barriers to calling for emergency help and ensuring administrators and college coaches will honor a school’s medical amnesty policy. Their next goal: To speak at national intercollegiate coaches’ conventions. Learn more at www.mccraewilliams.com.

—Deana Washburn, 209 Casino Ave., Cranford, NJ 07016; deanadw@aol.com